Write Things Worth Reading

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin

In 2017, at a young writers’ conference, I sat on the outskirts of a conversation with a speaker/author who asked the question, “Why do you write?”

Me being my shy self, had sat just far enough away where I was, unfortunately, not included in the conversation, but still able to hear some of the answers. I can’t remember all the responses, but I do remember what my friend said. She said she wrote to get to know herself better.

I personally write for a host of reasons, the foremost being that I thoroughly enjoy it. Secondly, I am very shy, and so writing offers me a way to speak and get my thoughts out without having to talk. Thirdly, writing gives me a bit of an escape. If I find myself in a difficult emotional situation, I’m able to express my feelings better and more readily to a computer screen than to someone’s face.

So now I ask you, “Why do you write?”

There’s no right or wrong answer. You can write for the pure joy of it (or because you must for school), or it can be a deeper, more personal reason. It doesn’t matter. Just take a minute to think of a few reasons, and then come back.

Knowing WHY you write can help dictate WHAT you write.

My first reason for writing—my love for it—directs me to strive to write engaging stories. One of my good friends pointed out how big of an influence writing has on our culture as part of the arts. Culture is built on stories. Good stories build better culture, bad stories destroy it.

By “bad” stories, I mainly mean vulgar and inappropriate ones, but I also mean weak and meaningless tales. People love stories and will go for anything they can get their hands on, even if it’s the junk food. They need stories. They are vital to the foundation of culture, and culture is a huge cornerstone of our identity. Unfortunately, not many people (including me), read books anymore. But books are still made into movies, movies are still stories, and there are plenty of junk food films available.

People are starving for good stories. Maybe good stories aren’t popular because they embrace absolute truths—it might be the broccoli in the candy aisle—but sooner or later, people will get tired of meaningless narratives.

We need to create the opposite. I’m not talking about stories with a moral lesson or phrase taped on the end. I’m talking about stories with clear, moral compasses. Distinct lines between good and evil. Stories with meaningful consequences. Ones that reflect the pain of life and the rising from that agony. Stories where good triumphs despite the heartache, hurt, and cost. Ones that reflect the truth of our life and world. Ultimate sacrifice. Stories where the good is worth fighting for, worth dying for.

Everything else is fluff. I’ve written fluff stories. But what’s the point?

Stories are powerful tools. When you sit down to write, think of what that tool will do. Will it sit on the shelf and blend in with the millions of other mediocre books, or will it do good to change the culture around you, one reader at a time?

I’m not saying you’ll write bestsellers. I’m not saying you’ll be popular. But strive to write quality. Make every effort to write things worth reading. Your work probably won’t be sterling to start, but as my boss has said, “Greatness is a lot of small things done well.”

Sometimes I feel that my writing doesn’t mean anything in the scope of eternity. But God used forty men to write one of the most loved and hated Books of all time. I’d like to share a quote from Andrew Jones’ book, Forward Slash, in talking about the importance of storytelling in spreading the Gospel, God’s story.

“Herald: A storyteller who explained what God was doing in contextually appropriate ways. Heralds are often artists in our Western world because art carries stories in deeply profound ways. And in our emerging world of new media, blogging and life-streaming, where stories and facts are aggregated by search engines, a new kind of herald is emerging who understands social media and the flow of information. We need to tell stories.”

Write and live to change the world around you for the better. Tell the truth. Show the pain. Show the beauty. And as hard as it can be, don’t be afraid. Writing scares me a lot, so much so that recently, I’ve wanted to quit. But we don’t know what impact we might have if we keep writing.

I’ve said it a million times already: stories are powerful cultural changers. God is telling a Story with history. We need to tell stories.

Make your life, your work, count.

 “Wish not so much to live long as to live well.”- Benjamin Franklin

…

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin

…

Don’t forget about the writing challenge, where you can practice building better stories and style! Details: http://thelibertywriter.blogspot.com/2018/08/honest-confessions-and-writing-challenge.html

30-Day Writing Challenge. Join the fun for FREE!

September 1, 2018-September 30, 2018